Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) won't be bringing his red state success to the next level.

The Democrat has been considering a presidential run since he handily won re-election in his increasingly Republican state last fall. But in a Thursday statement, Brown pulled his name out of consideration, saying "the best place" for him to keep "fighting for all workers across the country ... is in the United States Senate."

Brown pulled an easy victory in the midterms, in part because of his focus on workers' rights. He even embarked on a "Dignity of Work" listening tour that, with stops in Iowa and New Hampshire, looked awfully like the start of a presidential campaign. Despite bowing out, Brown maintained that pro-union focus in his Thursday statement, saying he'd "continue to make the dignity of work a central focus for Democrats in 2020." Read his whole statement below. Kathryn Krawczyk

Republican Mark Harris will not run again in the new North Carolina congressional election.

Harris announced his decision on Tuesday, saying it's because of his "health situation." He said that his physicians have told him he requires surgery at the end of March and that he owes it to his family to "make the wisest decision for my health."

Harris was the Republican candidate for North Carolina's 9th District in 2018, but after his Democratic opponent, Dan McCready, conceded, the Harris campaign faced allegations of ballot tampering. The race was never officially certified, and a woman earlier this month told the North Carolina Board of Elections that she had falsified absentee ballots and was hired by a political operative working for Harris. Harris's son also testified that he warned his father not to hire this operative, who he previously suspected had launched a ballot fraud scheme.

The North Carolina Board of Elections ordered a new election, a step Harris called for, after saying it had found evidence of a "coordinated, unlawful and substantially resourced absentee ballot scheme."

In his announcement Tuesday, Harris said voters should support Union County Commissioner Stony Rushing in the upcoming election. McCready has said he will run again. Brendan Morrow

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is running ... away from the possibility of a 2020 Senate bid.

In an interview with Today on Thursday, Pompeo was asked about speculation that he'll run for Senate in Kansas next year. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) has announced he will not seek another term in 2020, and Politico reported last month that Pompeo was meeting with a Republican strategist to discuss possibly running for the open seat. The Washington Post had previously reported that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has "personally courted" Pompeo to run.

When asked about this speculation Thursday, Pompeo at first simply said that he loves Kansas and that he would serve as secretary of state as long as "President Trump gives me the opportunity." When asked if that means he has no interest in being a senator, Pompeo said, "I love doing what I'm doing."

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ended months of speculation on Tuesday evening when he announced he is not entering the 2020 presidential race.

"It was not an easy decision, considering the extraordinary times we live in," Garcetti, a Democrat, said during a press conference. "As an American, like so many of us, we look to Washington for our better angels, we look to a government that would be kind and caring, but today we see one that is corrupt and cruel. Worst of all, they can't seem to get anything done." He also said he loves the city of Los Angeles, and wants to finish what he started as mayor.

Garcetti had been toying with the idea of running for president for about two years. There are several Democrats who have already announced their campaigns, including his fellow Californian, Sen. Kamala Harris. Catherine Garcia

At least one Republican who had floated a possible run against President Trump will not be entering the race after all.

Jeff Flake, the former Arizona senator, told CBS News on Tuesday that he will not run for president in 2020 after having previously teased a potential campaign and repeatedly saying a Republican should challenge Trump in the GOP primary. "I still hope that somebody does, but that somebody won't be me," Flake said. "I will not be that candidate."

Flake said that he did look into running in 2020, but he came to the conclusion that "there really isn't a path right now that I can see," although he feels it would be "healthy" if a Republican gave it a try. There's still a chance that former Ohio Governor John Kasich will do so, as he said last month that he's "actively thinking about" running, per Fox News.

Watch Flake's comments below. Brendan Morrow

You thought about running in 2020. Are you going to run?

"I have always said that I do hope that there is a Republican who challenges the president in the primary. I still hope that somebody does, but that somebody won't be me. I will not be a candidate." -- @JeffFlakepic.twitter.com/YX1LtXzEBX

As the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries inch closer, another potential candidate is counting himself out.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is set to announce that he will not run for president in 2020, both The New York Timesand Politicoreport. Patrick traveled the country campaigning for Democrats in the midterms, and his advisers launched a political action committee in August. Politico also reports that members of former President Barack Obama's inner circle were encouraging him to throw his hat in the ring.

But Patrick expressed some concerns about running during an appearance on the Axe Files podcast this fall. "It's hard to see how you even get noticed in such a big, broad field without being shrill, sensational, or a celebrity — and I'm none of those things and I'm never going to be any of those things," Patrick said, per theTimes.

The attorney who rose to fame while representing adult film actress Stormy Daniels said on Twitter Tuesday that he will not be running for president in 2020 at his family's request. "I do not make this decision lightly — I make it out of respect for my family," he writes. "But for their concerns, I would run." Avenatti had previously said he was "exploring" a possible presidential campaign.

Avenatti went on to say he's concerned that Democrats will ultimately nominate someone who "has no chance of actually beating Donald Trump," contending that the party needs someone who is "battletested" and a "fighter." He had previously argued the party must nominate a white male to defeat President Trump because "when you have a white male making the arguments, they carry more weight." Brendan Morrow

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo still swears he is definitely, for sure not running for president in 2020.

"I am ruling it out," Cuomo said Tuesday of a 2020 presidential bid, adding that he has "a full plate with many projects," per USA Today reporter Jon Campbell. This comes a week after a report from The Associated Press that said Cuomo had contacted Democrats in Des Moines, Iowa as presidential contenders look to set up staff in the state that hosts the first caucus. Cuomo denied this report, calling it a "conspiracy theory."

If Cuomo were to backtrack on these words, he would, of course, not be the first politician to run for president after repeatedly denying that he would do so; just recently, Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas), who during the Texas Senate race ruled out running for president, now says he's not ruling out running for president. But for the time being, Cuomo is taking himself out of consideration, having promised during the midterm elections that he would complete his full term as governor of New York unless "God strikes me dead." Brendan Morrow